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At press time, Harbaugh had sent Michigan’s athletic department an envelope containing a heavily annotated seating chart, a list of the 63,000 seat views he had found unsatisfactory, and a glowing 70-page report on section 25, row 12, seat 9, which he claimed is “exactly what the great sport of football is all about.”

TomVH: Kyle Kalis Update

As everyone knows former Ohio State commit Kyle Kalis is visiting Michigan this weekend. He told me that he's very excited for the trip, however I wouldn't expect a commitment this weekend from him. He does have a lot of interest in Michigan, but he decided that he also wants to visit Alabama and Miami first. That isn't 100%, but that's the plan going into the visit. I always say that visits can change things, but this is the plan as of now.

Kyle is aware of the situation Michigan is in with the recruiting class and how many spots are left open. If no decision is made this weekend don't be surprised if any of the other linemen Michigan was in good shape with end up pushing their decisions back or going elsewhere. I believe that they would wait for Kalis to make his decision, rather than letting it fill up.

There are guys like Blake Bars and Eric Olson deciding in the near future. Bars is deciding within a week, as I reported in his interview earlier. If the coaches want three more linemen and if Blake Bars were to choose Michigan they could potentially still be fine. That would probably leave spots reserved to wait for Jordan Diamond and Kyle Kalis. If they want to take three more. We'll see how it plays out, but do note that Kalis has a lot of interest in Michigan.

I think he likes Michigan alot but a.) wants to make sure he does his homework and b.) doesn't want to jump into a program to keep the bucknuts fans off his back. Thanks for the update Tom, hope the visit changes his mind and he goes blue.

That's awesome Tom, thanks. Good to know he's still really high on UM. I'm still hoping for a commitment this weekend. Is he coming up with Strobel? I heard that somewhere. I know Wormley will be there, so that should help us.

Denard has spent the offseason working really hard and smiling at people.

Tom, where do you project Kalis on the line? He looks like a Big-Ten ready guard to me, but I know he is listed as a tackle... Also, do you think his interest in other schools is a high as his interest in Michigan?

I'm not a scout so this is just my opinion, but if they were to get both Kalis and Diamond I think both could potentially play guard or tackle so they could let them duke it out and see who's better where.

linemen with the long arms at Left and Right Tackle, Jake Long wasn't much taller, but had freaky long arms. Kalis is 6'5" with a short wingspan so if everyone else is 6'6" and above (Peat is 6'7" and Banner is 6'9") then he's a lock at guard. If they're all 6'6" and he's the most talented then he might play tackle, but might still end up a Guard because we already have young Tackles and maybe a taller one next year. Guard would get him in right away.

I remember Tom saying somewhere that Michigan will have a good feel for where the players stand, that if Peat wants a spot they'll have one for him.

Im guessing that means that if they feel they have a real elgit shot at Peat that they'd tell one of the other guys to hold off for a moment. I mean you pretty much would have to right? You wouldnt want Hoke to oversign or tell someone in Feb that they cant join Michigan.

It seems possible they want to get 5 OL for sure, and leave a spot open for a possible 6th from the west (Peat, Banner, Garnett) who might decide late. Assuming Diamond is coming that leaves one more slot to fill this summer. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Kalis is their first choice for that spot and the coaches might ask Olson, Bars, etc to wait a bit.

indeed, but 6 isn't out of the question. We took 6 in 2005 and none of them were as highly touted as some of these kids. 7 might have happened in 05 if Peat had been around then and in play. RR took 3 linemen in his last 2 years total. If one listens to these kids they have absolute confidence in themselves and Peat is a true left tackle. The only kid in this class who could challenge him for that spot is Banner, but both couldstill play. Listen to Steven Elmers father about the mindset of these prospects. They'll follow recruiting more to join top linemen than to avoid them. I can see us taking 4 and having the backup linemen in this class redshirting.

Is getting hammered by guys on Ohio State boards and he is just coming for a visit. I cannot understand Kyle wanting to play for a fanbase like Ohio State's. Kyle is what? 17 and he has a great oppertunity to play at any school of his choice. Best of luck where ever he attends school.

Long time reader, first time poster. Thanks Tom for your relentless work on this board. Like many on this board, live in Ohio, die hard Wolverine. This would be icing on the cake if Kalis were to come to the good side. The Buckeye nation is in a free fall. and in August they will finally face the reality of what cheaters deserve!

That's very common. I had a thread and somebody went through and negged every post so that they'd become hidden :-/ I checked, and nobody that posted in the thread downvoted me. I have no idea who the bastard is that gave me a driveby negging.

I agree that they're Dbags if they intended to neg Tom VH but is it possible that one or both could have been an errant click? Those arrows can be really close together depending on your screen resolution.

"True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is nois

It would be great to pull a commitment from Kalis right away. It is quite possible that distance plays a factor in his decision, and once he sees Michigan he could end up committing right away, knowing the number of scholarships we have available.

While I don't want to set my expectations that he will commit this weekend (fingers crossed), I wouldn't be surprised if he silent commits to the coaches to make sure he gets in this class but also takes his visits to the other schools just to make sure he is 100% before he commits fully.

I've thought this exact thing. I feel like if he likes A2 then he will tell the coaching staff and no one else and then take his other visits to due his due diligence and make it appear as if he gave everyone a fair shake.

Formerly akron_wolverine and columbus_wolverine. New home, new name. A year in Columbus was enough.

Is that the coaches change their strategy, especially if Kalis looks like a lean. Diamond has long been a lean. But up to this point, I think Diamond was the only OL spot they were saving. Now, that will change. I think something similar is happening on DL, with guys like Wormley and Washington.

This is natural, as elite players are left, and spots become scarce.

Down side: we may lose out on a couple of really good guys...but that is the game.